We discuss the latest candidate nomination news, including questions about if recently-by-elected UCP MLA Laila Goodridge can win her party’s nomination in the new Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche district (the nomination meeting is being held three days before the return of the Legislative Assembly at the end of October) and how Anne McGrath‘s communist history will impact her chances as the NDP candidate in Calgary-Varsity.

And we dive deep into our mailbag to answer listener questions ranging from the upcoming Alberta Party annual general meeting to the 2018-2022 wild salmon policy.

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And thanks again to our producer, Adam Rozenhart, who keeps us on track and makes each episode of the Daveberta Podcast sound so great.

On the issue of the Soldiers of Odin, the question is raised: What should the UCP do? To me, it’s not about screening candidates. It’s about not pursuing dog-whistle politics designed to attract voters who hold extreme views. It’s about not threatening to expose kids who join GSAs to their parents in order to attract voters, then issue an kind of retraction days later. It’s about not having UCP MLAs and candidates say climate change is a hoax in order to attract voters, then having the party slightly backtrack later. When you court anti-abortion groups, climate-change deniers and evolution deniers, you are deliberately aiming for the votes of those on the political fringes. When your leader was a major figure in a national party that called for a hotline to report un-Canadian activities, you have identified your party as a safe space for extremists like the Soldiers of Odin. The UCP cannot actively pursue voters then act surprised when those voters come to at and volunteer to be candidates. It is disingenuous to pretend otherwise.

Secondly, as the previous commenter has mentioned, you have to look at some of the subliminal—and sometimes, overt, like Kelli Leach from the last federal Conservative Party leadership campaign—signalling from parts of the conservative movement in Alberta and in Canada. You don’t see these hate groups attending Alberta Party, Alberta Liberal Party or NDP events—they seem only to be attracted to UCP events, like flies to … well, you know.

The opinions expressed on this blog represent my own and not those of my employer or any organization I may be affiliated with.

In addition, my thoughts and opinions change from time to time. I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This blog is intended to provide a semi-permanent point in time snapshot and manifestation of the various ideas running around my brain, and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not the same, nor even similar, to those I may hold today.